In many typical communications system architectures, the return link has limited bandwidth and operates according to upload bandwidth allowances from a protocol partner. For example, in a typical satellite network configuration, bandwidth may be allocated to a client-side system by a server-side system as “grants” (e.g., blocks of bandwidth). Efficient use of the return-link resources may, therefore, be optimized by allocating a precise amount of the resources precisely when they are needed for an upload.
Of various conventional schemes that exist for return-link allocations, most fall in one of two categories. According to a first category, feedback is received over the return link to indicate that previous allocations were either larger or smaller than needed, and the allocations are adjusted accordingly. According to a second category, explicit requests are received from the user terminals, and allocations are issued in response to those requests.
While both categories of conventional approach provide certain features, the efficacy of those approaches can be appreciably limited by a high-latency return link. For example, a user terminal may have to wait for an explicit request to be sent over the return link and for an allocation response to be received before being able to upload data corresponding to the request. Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide techniques for predicting magnitudes and timing of return-link allocation requests, so that an optimal amount of resources is available on the return link when needed for each upload.